Abstract
Plagiarism is one of the most pressing challenges faced by higher education institutions, compromising academic integrity and negatively impacting the quality and credibility of scientific research. Therefore, this study aimed to assess undergraduate pharmacy students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding research ethics and plagiarism using the Plagiarism and Research Ethics Questionnaire (PRE-Q). This multi-centric, cross-sectional study aimed to validate the developed PRE-Q among final-year pharmacy students from different universities in Karachi, Pakistan. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was conducted for data interpretability and reduce cross-loadings. Sampling adequacy and item correlations were confirmed using the KMO and Bartlett’s tests of sphericity. Key predictors of student practices were identified using binary logistic regression and decision tree analysis. The response rate of the study was 72.1%. Female respondents comprised 73.5% (n = 480) of the sample, with a mean age of 22.3 ± 0.82 years. The cut-off value for good KAP and experience was defined as achieving ≥ 70% scoring across all the constructs. Good knowledge was observed in 26.4% (n = 173) respondents , while only 7% (n = 46) displayed a positive attitude towards plagiarism. The majority of students, 67% (n = 438) demonstrated good practices, despite their limited involvement in research activities. Only 11% (n = 72) respondents had attended courses or workshops on ethics or responsible conduct of research. The most frequently reported reasons for plagiarism among students were academic pressure (n = 119, 18.2%), followed by lack of time (n = 103, 15.7%) and lack of knowledge (n = 89, 13.6%). The findings indicate that the PRE-Q is a valid and reliable tool for assessing research ethics and plagiarism related constructs. The outcomes revealed patterns in plagiarism-related practices and highlighted the key predictors that may guide the development of targeted educational and policy interventions.
Data availability
The datasets used during the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Abbreviations
- PRE-Q:
-
Plagiarism and Research Ethics Questionnaire
- KMO:
-
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin
- CHAID:
-
Chi-squared automatic interaction detection
- SDG:
-
Sustainable Development Goal
- COPE:
-
Committee on Publication Ethics
- LMS:
-
Learning management systems
- STROBE:
-
Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology
- PCA:
-
Principal component analysis
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SS, HI, TM, HR: Conception, Study design, Data collection, Data interpretation, Manuscript writing. MA, AA, SA: Data analysis, interpretation. SN, HS: Data collection, interpretation. SA, SJ: Supervision, Validation, Project administration. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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The study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan (Reference No: ERC-FOP-2024-019). All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The students were explained about the scope of study and their written consent was obtained. The questionnaire included a consent statement, and respondents were able to proceed only after clicking the “I Agree” button.
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Shakeel, S., Ishaq, H., Maqbool, T. et al. Development, validation and psychometric evaluation of the Plagiarism and Research Ethics Questionnaire (PRE-Q) among pharmacy students in Karachi, Pakistan. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44299-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44299-6
